“Thanks,” she said, turning to Nate when Ryder had disappeared from view. “Stop taking your anger at me out on the eggs.”
He ignored her, reaching for the frying pan in the oven drawer.
“You have a lot of nerve being mad at me for accepting your family’s reservation when, thanks to you, the inn is under construction.”
He dropped the pan on the burner, turned, and walked to her, backing her up against the counter. He slapped his hands on the counter on either side of her hips, caging her in. “I told you my sisters have been trying to marry me off for five years. I told you they like you. I told you about my brothers-in-law’s texts. So you tell me, why are they coming? Or better yet, tell me why you want them to.”
“Because they wanted to visit the inn and take the tour, and they’re your family!”
He raised an eyebrow. “And…”
“Oh come on, you can’t be serious. Are you really suggesting I have an ulterior motive for wanting them here? Like what, Nate?” Her jaw dropped when it hit her. “Oh my gosh, you actually think I’ve joined forces with your sisters and nieces to trap you into marriage.” She shook her head. “And how exactly would that happen? I don’t want to get married, and neither do you. It’s not like I’m planning to seduce you and then spring a secret baby on you. I think you’ve been watching too many romantic movies with your sisters.”
“I never said anything about you seducing me.” His voice was huskier than usual, his eyes on her mouth.
“Oh, so you’re okay with me seducing you? You want us to be friends with benefits?” She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
He lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes almost black, his sun-bronzed skin flushed. “You’re making fun of me.”
Yes, but apparently the joke was on her, she thought when the muscles low in her stomach tightened with desire. “I was just making a point.” About what? What point was she trying to make? She couldn’t think straight with his body so close to hers, his fingers brushing against her hips.
“And what point is that, Ellie?”
Had he moved closer? Was that a hint of amusement in his voice? “Um. I, um.” Get a grip, she told herself. She was going to make a fool of herself, and she’d already done that yesterday morning. Obviously the kitchen was a dangerous place. “My point is, it doesn’t matter what your family or my grandmother or the voters for Highland Falls’ most romantic couple say or do, they can’t influence our feelings for each other. They can’t make us fall in love. They can’t make us—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “I get the picture,” he said. Then, lowering his hand, he stepped away from her. “But what they can do is drive us insane. And just remember who will be here when my sisters start hinting that there’s something more going on between us. Your grandmother and half the matchmakers in Highland Falls. Don’t forget your mother will be here too. How do you think—”
“Miranda is coming here?” her grandfather said, standing where the wall had once been.
She glared at Nate, who grimaced and mouthed Sorry.
Forcing a smile for her grandfather, she said in her cheeriest voice, “Yes. Mom and Bri are coming for the weekend. It’ll be a good opportunity for you two to talk and clear the air, Grandpa. Maybe we can straighten everything out this weekend, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“I’m not worried. It’s your mother who should be worried. If she sets foot on my property, I’ll have her arrested.” He turned and walked to his suite, then slammed the door shut behind him.
Ellie winced and grabbed a mixing bowl off the shelf. “That went well.”
Nate took the bowl from her. “Go talk to Joe. I’ll handle breakfast.”
“It’s okay. I said I would help, and it’s probably best if I give him a few minutes to cool off.” She opened the fridge, bending over to get the cheese, and her backside brushed against Nate.
“Seriously, Ellie. Please get out of the kitchen.” He rubbed his face. “I mean, go deal with Joe.”
* * *
“Wow, it’s really coming along,” Sadie said from behind her.
Ellie turned on the step stool, where she was hanging the plaid curtains in Jamie and Claire’s room. It was nice to see a friendly face. Nate was avoiding her, and her grandfather wasn’t speaking to her.
“Thanks,” Ellie said to her cousin, and she stepped off the stool. “Granny brought over some bedding she had, and it works perfectly with the plaid accents. The antique store dropped off my order this afternoon. Don’t you love this washbasin and pitcher?”
Sadie walked over, running a finger along the earthenware bowl. “I do, and I love the stand too. I peeked my head in the Beauty and the Beast room. Hunter and Nate are doing a great job on the bookshelves. They said they’ll be finished with them in another hour or so. You’re painting them navy?”
Ellie nodded. “Hopefully I’ll get to them tonight.” She frowned at Sadie. “Why do you look nervous? Nate and Hunter didn’t damage the wardrobe when they brought it up, did they?”
“No. Can’t you read my mind?”
“I don’t read minds without people’s permission, remember?” Except she had read the judge’s mind when he’d first arrived in Highland Falls, and Ryder’s. “Unless I have a very good reason to invade someone’s privacy.”
“Please invade mine. Then I don’t have to tell you.”
Ellie lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong?”
Sadie joined her and took her hand. “It’s probably nothing, but—”
“Why are you thinking about Spencer?”
“Go ahead, read the rest of it.”
“It doesn’t work like that. Now tell me what’s going on.”
“Okay. Well, after you told us about Spencer, Abby was curious, and she stalked him on social media. And ah.” She made a pained face. “Ellie, he was posting about the contest for most romantic small town in America. Abby’s positive he’s somehow involved with Happy Ever After Entertainment.”
“Maybe she stalked the wrong Spencer,” Ellie said, grasping at straws. This couldn’t be happening.
“It’s the right Spencer. But for all we know, he’s got the lead role in the movie, so let’s not panic just yet. Abby’s contact at Happy Ever After is away until Friday. She’ll call her then.”
“Okay, I know why I’m panicking. But why are you?”
“Because given your history with Spencer, if he is one of the judges, there’s no way Highland Falls will win.”
Chapter Fifteen
It’s a three-chocolate-bar day,” Ryder said as he met Nate at the top of the stairs. Three days ago, they’d begun gauging Ellie’s stress levels by how many chocolate bars she ate. It was the only way to tell how she was really feeling. She was one of the most relentlessly cheerful and easygoing women Nate had ever met.
Ryder glanced over his shoulder at the open guest room door down the hall. “She doesn’t even know Joe’s big-screen TV arrived. Maybe we should hide it.”